Theme: Avian Adventure
23A: Connected in an avian manner?: DOVETAILED
25A: Avian dance?: TURKEY TROT
109A: Avian con game?: PIGEON DROP
111A: Avian lawyer?: LEGAL EAGLE
30D: Avian architect?: CHRISTOPHER WREN
39D: Avian mimic?: PARROTFISH
44D: Avian tournament?: ROUND ROBIN
45D: Avian guardian?: SCARECROW
47D: Harassed avian style?: HENPECKED
Why "Avian mimic?" for 39D? I don't understand it.
Here are some more bonus "Avian" fills:
7D: Birds in barns: OWLS
13D: Birds' display areas: LEKS. It appeared on an April puzzle before. I simply forgot.
5D: Insect-eating birds: TITMICE
I am very curious to know if the above entries are the constructor's originals. The fact is that neither "Avian" nor "Birds" is really needed in the clues. The constructor/editor deprive the solvers a certain "Aha" moment by repetitively writing in "Avian" in every theme clue, how boring! I wonder why he CHICKENED out on Larry BIRD, which could be a perfect tie-in theme title. I thought of GOOSE Goosage earlier. He is now a HOFer and deserves some recognition in the crossword world too.
I dislike the following fills:
79A: Squeal to a halt: SKID
87A: Bad part of town: SKID ROW
107A: Pub potations: ALES
27A: Alternative to lager: ALE
And of course, the clue for I DO (46A: Wedding vow) should definitely be reworded due to VOW (89A: Pledge). Other crossword editors probably make this kind of mistake 2 or 3 times a year. For our "splicing device" (EDITOR), sky is the limit.
Overall, it's a good puzzle. Not exactly a SNAP (120A: Piece of cake) for me, but much easier than the previous Sunday's puzzles and more enjoyable. And the grid is very pretty and neat. I've never seen 2 theme entries running through in one line, separated by one block (23A & 25A, 109A & 111A).
Across:
6A: Bean paste: TOFU. Wrong clue. TOFU is bean curd. Bean paste is a completely different soybean product.
10A: Actress Oberon: MERLE. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says she was nominated for Oscar for her role in "The Dark Angel".
15A: Pers. with a handle?: CBER. I don't like the way "Pers." is abbreviated. In fact, CBER is a well accepted word, there is no need for clue abbreviation.
19A: Mites: ACARI. Singular is ACARUS. New to me.
28A: Wire thickness units: MILS
29A: Eyelike window: OCULUS. Like this one at the Pantheon (Rome).
32A: False report?: MISFIRE
37A: Tank toppers: TURRETS. Unknown to me. Look at this squirrel. I always thought of TURRETS as the top of some castles.
42A: Rock debris: SCREE. Another new word to me. It came from the old Norse word skriða (landslide). Here is a SCREE slope.
47A: Kingdom founded by St. Stephen: HUNGARY. Not familiar with St. Stephen. Pure guess. Here is Lang Lang's Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2.
50A: Certain grasses: REEDS. I filled in WEEDS first. Tricky clue.
56A: Addams family cousin: ITT. Learned from doing Xwords. Not familiar with this TV series.
59A: Highland tongue: ERSE. The Scottish Gaelic. Irish Gaelic is just Irish, right?
60A: Outline: CONTOUR
62A: Gather greedily: SCOOP UP. "Greedily"?
67A: Part of EKG: ELECTRO
71A: Veteran's abbr.: RET. Doesn't RET always refer to those high positioned generals?
74A: Nurse: CARE FOR. I dislike the clue due to RNS (53A: Hosp. personnel), even if N in latter is in abbreviated form.
84A: Swayed to and fro: ROCKED. I wonder who owns the original JFK's Rocking Chair now.
86A: Cay or key: ISLE. And INLET (101D: Channel opening). And AIT (113D: River island). Can also be spelled as EYOT. Strange looking word, isn't it?
92A: __ chloride (refrigerant): ETHYL. I googled this answer.
93A: Extreme poverty: PENURY
94A: Animal Planet's "___ Manor": MEERKAT. Dutch for "Lake cat", though it's not a cat. It belongs to the mongoose family. I've never heard of this animal. If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to knee (on your knees boy!).
99A: Container for a fossil fuel: COALBIN
103A: Cheap cigar: STOGY. Could also be spelled as STOGIE. I just learned this STOGY is short for Conestoga, a town in Pennsylvania.
106A: Weasel cousin: ERMINE
115A: Spartan market: AGORA. The Greek mall.
119A: Staircase support: NEWEL
Down:
6D: Linen fabric: TOILE. Hmm, too blue for my taste. That bed looks so small.
9D: One causing a downfall: UNDOER
11D:Successful mimic: EMULATOR. Knew EMULATE. Had never used EMULATOR before.
15D: Shop-at-home guide: CATALOG
17D:Berkshire college: ETON. Since 1440.
24D: Affectedly nonchalant: AIRY. Oh, has anyone read Hugo's "Les Miserables"?
33D: Feudal estate: FIEF
41D: Subside, as symptoms: LYSE. Got it from the across clues. I am not familiar with this medical term. Initially I filed in EASE. Another tricky clue.
49D: Unnamed work: OPUS. What exactly is OPUS? Why is it "unnamed"? Also, what's the difference between a orchestra and a symphony orchestra? I received no musical education when I grew up.
50D: Like Miss Congeniality: NICEST. Silly movie.
52D: Cannes water: EAU. And AGUA (107D: Spanish water).
63D: Detachable container: POD. How so? Why is it "Detachable"?
69D: Clouded by sediment: ROILY. I like the clue and the answer. I like this kind of seemingly inconsistent cluing (in terms of part of speech).
70D: Architectural projection: ORIEL. The Bay window.
82D: Dry gulch: ARROYO. Her name is ARROYO (Gloria) too, and she is the President of the Philippines.
83D: For eternity: EVERMORE. How I wanted it to be NEVERMORE! We can have one more bird related clue (The Raven).
88D: Castle cell: DUNGEON. Do you like "The Count of Monte Cristo"?
90D: Of a parent-child Freudian relationship: OEDIPAL. Oedipus complex.
100D: Horn for reveille: BUGLE
103D: Jam or pickle: SPOT. "Tough SPOT", maybe yes. But SPOT, I am not sure. I can not see any commonality between Jam/pickle & SPOT.
105D: Arch type: OGEE
110D: Bobbsey twin: NAN. Another boring clue. Have you ever had Tandoori-baked NAN before?
C.C.
23A: Connected in an avian manner?: DOVETAILED
25A: Avian dance?: TURKEY TROT
109A: Avian con game?: PIGEON DROP
111A: Avian lawyer?: LEGAL EAGLE
30D: Avian architect?: CHRISTOPHER WREN
39D: Avian mimic?: PARROTFISH
44D: Avian tournament?: ROUND ROBIN
45D: Avian guardian?: SCARECROW
47D: Harassed avian style?: HENPECKED
Why "Avian mimic?" for 39D? I don't understand it.
Here are some more bonus "Avian" fills:
7D: Birds in barns: OWLS
13D: Birds' display areas: LEKS. It appeared on an April puzzle before. I simply forgot.
5D: Insect-eating birds: TITMICE
I am very curious to know if the above entries are the constructor's originals. The fact is that neither "Avian" nor "Birds" is really needed in the clues. The constructor/editor deprive the solvers a certain "Aha" moment by repetitively writing in "Avian" in every theme clue, how boring! I wonder why he CHICKENED out on Larry BIRD, which could be a perfect tie-in theme title. I thought of GOOSE Goosage earlier. He is now a HOFer and deserves some recognition in the crossword world too.
I dislike the following fills:
79A: Squeal to a halt: SKID
87A: Bad part of town: SKID ROW
107A: Pub potations: ALES
27A: Alternative to lager: ALE
And of course, the clue for I DO (46A: Wedding vow) should definitely be reworded due to VOW (89A: Pledge). Other crossword editors probably make this kind of mistake 2 or 3 times a year. For our "splicing device" (EDITOR), sky is the limit.
Overall, it's a good puzzle. Not exactly a SNAP (120A: Piece of cake) for me, but much easier than the previous Sunday's puzzles and more enjoyable. And the grid is very pretty and neat. I've never seen 2 theme entries running through in one line, separated by one block (23A & 25A, 109A & 111A).
Across:
6A: Bean paste: TOFU. Wrong clue. TOFU is bean curd. Bean paste is a completely different soybean product.
10A: Actress Oberon: MERLE. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says she was nominated for Oscar for her role in "The Dark Angel".
15A: Pers. with a handle?: CBER. I don't like the way "Pers." is abbreviated. In fact, CBER is a well accepted word, there is no need for clue abbreviation.
19A: Mites: ACARI. Singular is ACARUS. New to me.
28A: Wire thickness units: MILS
29A: Eyelike window: OCULUS. Like this one at the Pantheon (Rome).
32A: False report?: MISFIRE
37A: Tank toppers: TURRETS. Unknown to me. Look at this squirrel. I always thought of TURRETS as the top of some castles.
42A: Rock debris: SCREE. Another new word to me. It came from the old Norse word skriða (landslide). Here is a SCREE slope.
47A: Kingdom founded by St. Stephen: HUNGARY. Not familiar with St. Stephen. Pure guess. Here is Lang Lang's Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2.
50A: Certain grasses: REEDS. I filled in WEEDS first. Tricky clue.
56A: Addams family cousin: ITT. Learned from doing Xwords. Not familiar with this TV series.
59A: Highland tongue: ERSE. The Scottish Gaelic. Irish Gaelic is just Irish, right?
60A: Outline: CONTOUR
62A: Gather greedily: SCOOP UP. "Greedily"?
67A: Part of EKG: ELECTRO
71A: Veteran's abbr.: RET. Doesn't RET always refer to those high positioned generals?
74A: Nurse: CARE FOR. I dislike the clue due to RNS (53A: Hosp. personnel), even if N in latter is in abbreviated form.
84A: Swayed to and fro: ROCKED. I wonder who owns the original JFK's Rocking Chair now.
86A: Cay or key: ISLE. And INLET (101D: Channel opening). And AIT (113D: River island). Can also be spelled as EYOT. Strange looking word, isn't it?
92A: __ chloride (refrigerant): ETHYL. I googled this answer.
93A: Extreme poverty: PENURY
94A: Animal Planet's "___ Manor": MEERKAT. Dutch for "Lake cat", though it's not a cat. It belongs to the mongoose family. I've never heard of this animal. If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to knee (on your knees boy!).
99A: Container for a fossil fuel: COALBIN
103A: Cheap cigar: STOGY. Could also be spelled as STOGIE. I just learned this STOGY is short for Conestoga, a town in Pennsylvania.
106A: Weasel cousin: ERMINE
115A: Spartan market: AGORA. The Greek mall.
119A: Staircase support: NEWEL
Down:
6D: Linen fabric: TOILE. Hmm, too blue for my taste. That bed looks so small.
9D: One causing a downfall: UNDOER
11D:Successful mimic: EMULATOR. Knew EMULATE. Had never used EMULATOR before.
15D: Shop-at-home guide: CATALOG
17D:Berkshire college: ETON. Since 1440.
24D: Affectedly nonchalant: AIRY. Oh, has anyone read Hugo's "Les Miserables"?
33D: Feudal estate: FIEF
41D: Subside, as symptoms: LYSE. Got it from the across clues. I am not familiar with this medical term. Initially I filed in EASE. Another tricky clue.
49D: Unnamed work: OPUS. What exactly is OPUS? Why is it "unnamed"? Also, what's the difference between a orchestra and a symphony orchestra? I received no musical education when I grew up.
50D: Like Miss Congeniality: NICEST. Silly movie.
52D: Cannes water: EAU. And AGUA (107D: Spanish water).
63D: Detachable container: POD. How so? Why is it "Detachable"?
69D: Clouded by sediment: ROILY. I like the clue and the answer. I like this kind of seemingly inconsistent cluing (in terms of part of speech).
70D: Architectural projection: ORIEL. The Bay window.
82D: Dry gulch: ARROYO. Her name is ARROYO (Gloria) too, and she is the President of the Philippines.
83D: For eternity: EVERMORE. How I wanted it to be NEVERMORE! We can have one more bird related clue (The Raven).
88D: Castle cell: DUNGEON. Do you like "The Count of Monte Cristo"?
90D: Of a parent-child Freudian relationship: OEDIPAL. Oedipus complex.
100D: Horn for reveille: BUGLE
103D: Jam or pickle: SPOT. "Tough SPOT", maybe yes. But SPOT, I am not sure. I can not see any commonality between Jam/pickle & SPOT.
105D: Arch type: OGEE
110D: Bobbsey twin: NAN. Another boring clue. Have you ever had Tandoori-baked NAN before?
C.C.
42 comments:
An OPUS is a musical masterpiece. If you write a symphony and call it your "opus" you are 1) vain and 2) unanble to come up with a clever name.
Martin
Good morning CC etal,
A couple of struggles this morning, but overall not too bad. Did not like "ale" & "ales" in same puzzle - lazy, I think. Also thought answer "rns" & clue "nurse" was a little lame as well. Avian clues came together quite nicely which helped solve the perps.
CC:
Cousin Itt from the old sitcom "The Addams Family":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKVfhZoFKX8
Also, will you be watching China vs. USA basketball game in an hour or so? ESPN says it will be the most watched sporting event in the history of television!
Happy Sunday to all!
Good morning c.c., DF’s and all!
A summer sun-shower to start the day! Yesterday’s storms pushed out the heavy humidity, making it bearable here in SW Florida. I’ll be working all day, so I won’t get to enjoy the wonderful weather.
@martin 5:50- I must correct you in your definition of OPUS. It is not a masterpiece, or a name just to fill in space when the artist cannot think of another. It simply denotes the order in which a work or piece is published. OPUS is Latin for WORK (non musical use- OPUS DEI, from the Da Vinci Code, means “God’s Work”). The word is followed by a number to denote order of publication, so you could have “Symphony in B minor, OPUS 12”, meaning that was the 12th work that that artist has published.
You will see similar notations in the names of Mozart’s works (i.e. “Piano Concerto #20 in D minor, K. 466), which is the Kochel catalogue, history’s way of placing Mozart’s’ work in chronological order.
It is nice to have a crossword that is not so difficult. I missed 24 down and had "arty" until, it just worked itself out with the other words. The only problem was with "leks". Otherwise great way to start Sunday morning
Truly enjoyed a Sunday puzzle that I could finish before church. Could also be because I'm a 'birder'. Although several answers didn't seem right: 1)lyse??? never heard of this as subside....thought it was a cell breakdown and only got the answer because of the across clues; 2)same for leks. Think Whitten got a wee bit lazy using "ale"&"ales".
Good morning, C.C., et. al. I don't get the Sunday puzzle, but did want to comment on "Skid row." The term originated as "skid road." Seattle, Washington is a city of hills. Early loggers in Seattle would skid the logs down to Elliot Bay, letting gravity do the work for them. One road, named for Henry Yessler, became "skid road" for all the logs that came down that particular path. With time, the area around the waterfront deteriorated and became populated with low income people. Skid road became a term for the run down area of a town. In the Minneapolis that I grew up in, it was North Washington, paralleling the river past the old Great Northern depot(now gone).
Unfortunately, the term "skid road" has migrated to skid row, and should someone say skid road today, you'll probably get funny looks.
Good morning,
some answers:39D: Avian mimic?: PARROTFISH Why "Avian mimic?" for 39D? I don't understand it.
to parrot something is to repeat it, or mimic.
62A: Gather greedily: SCOOP UP. "Greedily"?
In the sense that, like at a bargain sale, someone would hurriedly gather as much of the product as they could.
71A: Veteran's abbr.: RET. Doesn't RET always refer to those high positioned generals?
No, I am USMC, ret. myself but certainly not an officer.
84A: Swayed to and fro: ROCKED. I wonder who owns the original JFK's Rocking Chair now.
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
63D: Detachable container: POD. How so? Why is it "Detachable"?
like pods that attach under the wings of aircraft and can be removed when not needed. Also, R2D2 and C3PO escaped capture in a pod.
Good Morning, C.C., and all.
xchef, you beat me to it, on the subject of Opus, Kochel comment and all. There ARE masterpieces with the term "Opus" attached, but it's generally a term used in identification of the piece. And, it's used to identify music other than symphonies.
C.C, Wikipedia has a great article on "Orchestra" that will clear up your confusion over the use of "Symphony Orchestra" and "Orchestra." Basically, it has to do with the number of performers, with a Symphony Orchestra being the larger of the two groups. A Symphony Orchestra may have a wider variety of instruments, because they may have 20 or more performers than an orchestra.
One other term is "Chamber orchestra," which denotes a group of 50 or fewer performers.
I hope that helps.
LEKS was the only word I didn't get today, but there were plenty that only came through the fills: ACARI, AIT, and LYSE. I know ETHYL, ETON and TOILE, but needed the fills to get me to the point where I could see them. I didn't know Eton was in the Berkshires, and didn't know there were Berkshires in England. (sigh) I need a vacation. Maybe I should go to the Berkshires....
Sun here in suburban Chicago, and comfortable summer temps.
I bid you all a good day!
(Buckeye....come baaaaakkkk!)
Good Morning, Today will be an Olympic undertaking for G.A.H. and me. We always VOW we won't watch so much, but the athletes are so talented and China is such an interesting country, we are hooked already.
No Sunday puzzle, but I love to check in.
c.c. "Irish Gaelic is just Irish, right?" We were in Ireland last year and everyone we spoke to referred to the language as "Irish". There is quite a resurgence in teaching and using Irish, which had come close to dying out in the past 100 years or so.
"has anyone read Hugo's "Les Miserables"?" It was a requirement for a college class I took (also about 100 years ago :o). It seemed to be so removed from anything I knew as a 17 year old. Then, about 15 years ago, we saw "Les Miserables" on stage. What a riveting story, and the music is beautiful. If you haven't seen it, there are quite a few theater companies who have (and will) produce it. The Liam Neeson movie is non-musical and is a good way to familiarize yourself with the story.
"TURRETS" were also used on WWII airplane bombers. Both the movies, "Memphis Belle" and "12 O'Clock High" feature ball turret gunners and the terrible dangers of their assignment.
poem
I know, it's a graphic poem, but I think it was all too often accurate.
Got a few chores and then it's on with the TV to see how Michael Phelps is doing.
CC: spot, jam, pickle all mean that one is in some difficulty. These idioms are most likely the toughest to understand when learning a language.
I'm in a tough spot, my dishwasher is all jammed up, it's a pickle (I don't understand). Today's puzzle was a pickle for me about the avian architect.
C.C., Dear Husband and I had the chance to visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. about 20 years or so ago, and I saw the most incredible ceiling in the main entry area. At the time I was totally absorbed by quilting, and my first thought was, "I'd like to recreate that in fabric!"
I've come to learn that the ceiling is a recreation of the oculus and dome at the Pantheon. The play of light over the inset areas is endlessly fascinating.
I clicked on the link for Lang Lang's interpretation of the Hungarian Rhapsody #2, and turned it off after a minute or so. His histrionics seem to be more important to him than bringing out the haunting beauty of the piece. In all fairness, You Tube is not the best place to judge a performance, but from what I heard, and saw, I'd be unlikely to buy a ticket to one of his concerts.
And on the link for 'toile,' I like the juxtaposition of the stripe and the floral, paired with the solid white on the wainscoting, and the little bit of yellow, but like you, I find it too blue for my taste. At the moment my bedroom is done in greens. There's a traditional rendering of an Alabama Broken Star in deep greens and rose (from my early quilting era), with fern patterned green batik pillow cases.
Thanks for the links. You keep me inquiring!
kitty b,
Loved your explanation for Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra. Now please explain for me the difference between a Symphony Orchestra and a Philharmonic Orchestra.
@Anon 11:46- There is no difference; they are the same size and play the same music. If memory serves, “philharmonic” means “friendly music” or “music lover” from the Greek. I believe the term was coined in Britain during the late 19th century to distinguish a competing musical body from the London Symphony Orchestra
My local newspaper, Sun Sentinel, does not carry this puzzle. They print one each from the NYT and Wash Post. I am going to check online and see if I can get a copy of this. Very irksome.
jojo, we have the same problem in the Philly area; unfortunately, this puzzles's not available online. I think the other paper in your area, not the Sun-Sentinel, carries it. We're in Ft. lauderdale frequently, and I remember getting the paper that had it.
Martin, your explanation of OPUS may not have been accurate, but it was funny.
There's another OPUS out there. He's a cartoon strip penguin, drawn by Berkley Breathed. Depending on their political affiliation, people either loved Opus or totally despised him. I think there is still a Sunday Opus cartoon, but our local paper doesn't carry it. Here are a few examples of Breathed's Opus strips.
Opus Cartoon Strips
I have a couple of old books, "Monster Rally" and "The Chas Addams Mother Goose", by Charles Addams, that feature Addams family cartoons. No Cousin ITT, I guess he came along later. I loved both Addams Family movies with Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd.
I once drew a mascara moustache on my 6 month old granddaughter to make her resemble baby "Pubert" Addams. My son-in-law thought I was crazy, but her mother/my daughter laughed...she gets my sense of humor.
Martin,
Do you get the same Sunday puzzle as we do?
Chris,
I missed it. Basketball & soccer are both very popular in China. Thanks for the Cousin Itt clip. Wow, he was covered all over with hair. I did not know that.
Ken,
Thank you for checking in. Wouldn't the strong currents wear down on those logs and therefore render some of wood unsawable (is this word)?
Argyle,
I thought of "parrot" too. But if you looked at the theme entries carefully, DOVETAILED, ROUND ROBIN, etc., every one of them is a complete phrase. I just found out PARROTFISH "can mimic speech and have been known to pop up out of the water and hurl insults at fishermen". So it makes sense now. I was thinking of "Scoop up" ice cream. Isn't there also a Rocking Chair in JFK library? I was thinking of pea POD.
csw in KY
My daughter in NYC rents a POD for storage, so 63D made sense to me. Check out pods.com
Just returned from Central City CO and am missing their cool summer temps and spectacular mountain scenery. To all of you living in CO, I loved your beautiful state!
Xchefwalt,
Can you believe that I've never paid attention to what goes beyond the word "Piano Concerto"? What does the last word mean then? The style? The message? Or what? Thank you for the explanation on "Philharmonic Orchestra". I was confused about that too.
Clear Ayes,
I've never had the patience to read "Les Miserables". The language seems to be very beautiful. Ha, another Michael Phelps fan. Great!
Sallie,
I've got no problem understanding "tough SPOT". Just could not grok "SPOT" being synonymous to pickle/jam.
KittyB,
Lang Lang's exaggerated style can be very distracting. I find the deep blue TOILE-bedding to be very cold. I like light green.
Dennis,
What's behind your "Kegeler" comment last night @ 9:05pm?
Clear Ayes,
What is "Clenching" exercise?
Buckeye,
So, you decided to be OFF. How can I turn you ON?
clear ayes, lol, as you are a new DF member, I think I'll leave the above question to you.
And C.C., I don't go to many plays, but I've seen Les Miserables 3 times - couple of the songs, "Empty Tables" for example, still bring tears to my eyes. The play may be about the French, but the message is the same.
c.c., why would you say parrot fish wasn't a complete phrase?
Wait, I see what you mean. They are called parrotfish because their upper jaw looks like a parrot's beak. Is that enough to call it a mimic?
No comment on prehensile tail yesterday?
@c.c. 2:46- the last word “romance” denotes the movement (there are 3 in that particular piece, romance being the second), and the word show the mood that the composer is trying to create.
I agree with dennis that “Les Mis” is an awesome show (I saw it twice on Broadway), but it’s a hard read. I think that Hugo was like Dickens and got paid by the word. I mean at one point in the book he takes about 75 pages to get to the point that a candlestick was stolen.
@clear ayes- thanks for the “Bloom County” links. That still remains 3rd favorite strip of all time (Doonesbury being 2nd and Calvin and Hobbs being the greatest comic strip EVER).
xchefwalt, amen on Calvin & Hobbes - used to consistenly make me laugh out loud. Have you read Pearls Before Swine? Also great.
Dennis,
I am not a play person. I just find the writing of "Les Miserables" to be very elegant.
Argyle,
What I meant is that you could not just pick PARROT from PARROTFISH and say it's "mimic". It simply does not fit the other theme entry pattern. That's an awesome "PREHENSIBLE" picture. I will never forget this grasping word or the kissing image, so self-absorbing! I did not compliment yesterday because Carol diverted my attention to Dennis' PREHENSIBLE pop corn MOREL.
Xchefwalt,
If there are 3 movements in that piece, how come the other 2 are not marked? What are they then?
"lol, as you are a new DF member, I think I'll leave the above question to you."
To "Gertie" (Dennis' alter ego) Thanks so much, Gert! This is what I get for one measly little foray as a DF. ;o) I think I did say, "be prepared for questions", and we are all liberated women, so here goes.
c.c. Dennis (as "Gertie") was was making a pun on the word "kegler" which is a German origin word for a bowler. He was responding to my comment about "clenching exercises", which are "Kegel" exercises. Kegels are pelvic muscle tensing and relaxing exercises that are used by women to 1. Strengthen their pelvic muscles in preparation for childbirth 2. After childbirth to get muscles back in shape 3. Used to increase sexual libido. Got anything to add to that, Gertie? Interestingly, according to Wikipedia (I just checked) Kegels can also be used by men. (Check it out, Dennis.)
Kegel Exercise
Let me get this straight! The Kegel exercises will practically give women a prehensile tail which will result in more enjoyment when monkeying around. Sounds good to me!
I also found it interesting that the meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was done by the 'COCH'rane Collaboration team. Couldn't've been Smith or Jones? And the Ben Wa balls? I'm surprised it wasn't Ben Wa Ting balls. Also sounds good to me. When I'm rockin', don't come knockin'!
Good Job, Clear ayes!! Well done!
clear ayes, that cinched it - you're officially a member of the DFSW - DysFunctional Sirens of the Web. Congratulations, I think.
Yes, I know about kegels for men. I think most men do, but few really practice it. I've always believed that anything you can do to work muscles as you age would pay dividends in later years, and I think I've been very lucky in that regard.
Clear Ayes & Dennis,
Very clever wordplay on Kegle/Kegler. I don't think I have the MOREL capacity to absorb what Dennis has offered. He is so good... at repartee.
Lois,
What are "Ben Wa Ting balls"?
@c.c. 4:01- The “romance” is the entire second movement. The whole piece is about 30 minutes long. The first movement has no name and has an “allegro” tempo (around 140 beats per minute). The third movement is called “Rondo”. Here is The First Movement
Here is The Third Movement
Enjoy!
@dennis- I had a number of Calvin books, but have lost most of them. But I’ll always have Calvin with me as he’s tattooed on my left bicep.
Here are some great calvin and Hobbs Strips
Speaking as a fairly self-confident male, kegel exercises are very-much well worth the efforts for us he-men. No one needs to know, a great way to kill time while driving, and the results can be stunning to both. Honest to goodness, who knew, but - wow! "Bone-up", guys - if you're not sure, keep it to yourself, but I'm here to tell you, OMG, you won't believe it after a month of 50-100 per day, swear!
Just thought I'd throw that in there (so to speak).
CC: You missed a great basketball game!
Sweet dreams all!
Clear Ayes, way to go girl!!! Dennis is obviously "working" to keep his morel "standing" in the community!
Dennis: Love your "input" with regard to the male version of the "clenchers" :)
Lois, those Ben Wa Ting balls sound familiar, dare I reference Xaveria?
Dennis I will check the Miami Herald and thankyou for the input.I also get the NYT so I am not without Sunday puzzles, I just like these the best.
xchefwalt & Dennis,
Yup, Calvin and Hobbes was a great comic strip; arguably maybe the best one ever. I have another candidate, (or maybe two).
First up, for those of you who are old enough to remember, there is "Pogo", by Walt Kelly. Pogo ran from 1948 to 1975. He and his Okefenokee Swamp pals took on the John Birch Society, the FBI and just about every politician from Joseph McCarthy to Lyndon Johnson.
Walk Kelly's philosophy was summed up in Pogo's quote, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
Going back even further, I suggest "Lil Abner", by Al Capp. "Lil Abner" ran from 1934 (before my time)until 1977. Always satirical, the strip introduced Americans to Sadie Hawkins Day and the miserable town of Dogpatch. Dogpatch was home to the most worthless men, ie. L'il Abner, Marrying Sam, Senator Phogbound and Pappy Yokum. There was a bright side when Dogpatch women appeared. Daisy Mae, Stupifyin' Jones and Moonbeam McSwine were gorgeous, Mammy Yokum not so much so. lol
Current excellent, and funny, strips are "Pearls Before Swine" and 'Get Fuzzy". "Doonesbury" is in a class of its own. Not always funny (some people would say never), it is always daring.
Chris in LA: How can you not admire a man who is confident in his own skin (so to speak).
C.C. Many waterways, ie, rivers and canals have been used to transport logs without significant absorbtion of water by the wood. I'm sure there is some, but as logs may often sit in the sun in a mill yard, such water would evaporate out of the log. Using rivers, many logs would be encircled by a chain attached to the perimeter logs. Such an assembly is termed a "boom." By using a boom, a single tug boat can move the logs from the logging site to the mill or landing place where the logs may be loaded on trucks for transport to the mill.
In parts of the west, one can still see long chutes or "sluices" constructed to transport logs by means of water being pumped into the sluice which would then float the logs and send them down the inclined sluice to the desired destination. Sluice is also used as a verb as in "to sluice out a pan holding gold ore" ie, panning for gold.
Hey, C.C., you have an expert on music in xchef!
A Concerto is a form of music that has three sections, written for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra (or...possibly a symphony orchestra *G*)
The three sections are usually described with words that indicate tempo. Do you remember the discussion a month or so ago about music tempi? Allegro is a fairly fast tempo that can be anywhere from 120 to 168 beats per minute. "Assai" means very, or rather, or enough as is needed. So Allegro assai is rather fast.
Mozart described the second movement of the Piano Concerto #20 in D minor as "Romanze." His intention was to offer a lyrical contrast to the first and third movement. "Romanze" can be described as "having a tender quality." So, this particular definition does not speak as much about tempo as style of performance.
Lest anonymous asks, a concerto grosso is a form of concerto written during the Baroque period where a small group of instruments was accompanied by the orchestra. Concerti are still being written, but the concerto grosso remains a style used centuries ago.
C.C., I trust you to teach me about art. Because I had music classes, I missed out on art in high school and college. I only know the works of the most famous masters, and with the exception of the "Mona Lisa," or the "Pieta," I don't know the works by name.
I hope the concerto info has helped.
I am beginning to love the Sunday blog best of all. It seems that few of us get the Sunday x-word, so the blog is opened to a "stream of consciousness" dialog about anything the clues or answers bring to mind.
Kitty B and Xchefwalt, your input on classical music today was so interesting. I'm not a musician, so it was fascinating to get down to earth explanations for classical musical terms.
Ken, Argyle, Chris in LA, you always have great comments on the origin of clues/answers. I'm learning a lot.
Dennis, Lois and Carol (Melissa bee too), Always funny, interesting and quick witted. You make DF difficult to resist.
All the other contributors (you know who you are) add so much to every subject.
c.c. You put up with us,keep us from going too far off track, and yet give us so much freedom to roam. Thanks.
Shouldn't 2 down on Tuesday's puzzle be MATCH?
Anonymous @9:15am,
Yes, you are right. I made a mistake. Thank you for pointing it out.
an opus is just a work, it doesn't have to be a masterpiece, nor does it have to be musical. coming from the latin 'opera', which means "a work" (same in italian and we get OPERate from this)
Anonymous @ 12:41pm,
Thanks for leaving a comment.
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